December 31, 2013

Today marks the end of 2013. As we look towards 2014 and the wonderful things we expect to see for Simple Stories in the coming year, we say a fond farewell to some of the amazing ladies on this year's design team.

We'll never forget these talented designers we've had with us and the contributions they've each made to Simple Stories and the amazing growth we've experienced this past year. So, rather than saying goodbye, we'll say a very fond farewell.

Please join us in thanking these wonderful ladies for sharing their art with us for this past year -

December 29, 2013

Hi there, Layle with you today for another round of Pick a Card, Any Card!

Each month, 5 of our design team members and I will be picking one of our favorite Simple Stories or SN@P! 3x4 or 4x6 cards and sharing them with you - in more ways than one! We've introduced so many GREAT cards over the last few years that I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite cards each month, tell you why they're our favorites and then give you a chance to win not only the specific cards that we picked, but the other cards they're paired up with as part of the set (more on that fun giveaway at the end of this post)!

To kick off this month's version of Pick a Card, Any Card, here's one of my favorites -

This 4x6 card is from The Daily Grind 6x12 Page Elements paper - I love that you could use this as a 4x6 card in your Life Documented/Pocket Page Scrapbooking or use it as a 6x12 element on a layout. I used it in my December Daily album and added a photo to the white space. You could also add journaling or multiple small photos -

This card is my favorite Christmas Sn@p! card for a few reasons! First, it is a great saying from one of our favorite Christmas movies, Elf. Just reading it out loud makes me want to chuckle! Second, I have been really into hand drawn typography lately and this is a beautiful example! Third, filling in your December Documented album with a fun saying like this is an easy way to use up space for those days when you didn't do a lot of activities.

I think that this is just a great reminder for all of us and especially young girls like my daughter. In a world of uniformity it's so important for our young people to know that being true to yourself is totally cool. Unique is the new 'in'. Plus I just love the fun girl colors with the black background. It's a great little collection.

The Family Sn@p! Set is one of my favorite products released by Simple Stories this past year. Fall is my favorite season and I immediately fell in love with the rich warm tones of this set. What I love about this card in particular is not only the quote featured, but the fun script font used as well as the hand drawn feel to the flowers.

This card reminds me of the relationship that I have with my husband. Nobody is perfect, but when you find that special person, it's like the puzzle piece that you've been missing and you fit perfectly together no matter what flaws or imperfections you may have. Such a PERFECT quote for a SN@P! card!

So, what do you think? How about those picks - pretty fun, right?!

Love those cards and not sure what to do with them? Are you not quite sold on the Pocket Page scrapbooking trend, but love the wonderful Simple Stories card designs you’re seeing in our SN@P! Sets, SN@P! Cards and Element papers? Are you stumped on how you can incorporate these cards, typically designed to fit into divided page protectors, into your traditional 12×12 scrapbooking?

No worries, help is here! The Pick a Card, Any Card: Using 3×4 and 4×6 Cards on Your Pages class I taught as part of the True Scrap 5 online virtual event is now available a la carte - meaning you can now get the Pick a Card, Any Card online class for less than $13!

This class is chock-full of content, including nine different ideas and project examples for bridging the gap between 12×12 layouts and Pocket Page scrapbooking. Join me to dispel the magic when it comes to creating with 3×4 and 4×6 cards!

The class includes a project video and a "like you were there" full scrapinar replay (about 60 minutes). I guarantee - you'll love it!

OK, now to more good stuff. At the beginning of this post I mentioned something about a giveaway! Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below by end of day Friday, January 3rd (WOW! 2014 is here!!) telling me which of our 6 cards is your favorite and why. On Sunday the 5th I'll draw one random lucky winner to win ALL of these cards -

Remember back in October when I talked about an online class I was teaching as part of the True Scrap 5 online virtual event called Pick a Card, Any Card: Using 3×4 and 4×6 Cards on Your Pages?

Well, I have some good news! The classes that were part of that event are now available a la carte - meaning you can now get the Pick a Card, Any Card online class for less than $10!

Are you not quite sold on the Pocket Page scrapbooking trend, but love the wonderful Simple Stories card designs you’re seeing in our SN@P! Sets, SN@P! Cards and Element papers? Are you stumped on how you can incorporate these cards, typically designed to fit into divided page protectors, into your traditional 12×12 scrapbooking?

No worries, help is here! In “Pick a Card, Any Card”, I'll share with you various ideas, tips and tricks for using these Simple Stories cards in your traditional 12×12 scrapbook layouts, as well as in other paper crafting projects.

This class is chock-full of content, including nine different ideas and project examples for bridging the gap between 12×12 layouts and Pocket Page scrapbooking. Join me to dispel the magic when it comes to creating with 3×4 and 4×6 cards!

The class includes a project video and a "like you were there" full scrapinar replay (about 60 minutes). I guarantee - you'll love it!

Click here to purchase the Pick a Card, Any Card class - only $9.99 through Christmas.

- See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/2013/12/pick-a-card-any-card-online-a-la-carte-class-now-available-.html#sthash.PBRGqA5L.dpuf

I hope you have enjoyed your Christmas Holiday so far. Guiseppa here to share with you a cute holiday gift set I made using some of my left over papers and embellishments from the December Documented Collection. If you are like me, you are always scrambling at the last minute to make those gift packages or cards for the holidays. It doens't hurt a bit to prepare for next year. So, here is what I did and yes, I will tuck this away so I can pull it out and use it next year.

I cut out a pillow box using my Silhouette Cameo and dressed it all up with the December Documented Collection. I also made a matching mini card to go along with it.

What will you do with your left over December Documented Collection? Get prepared for next year and have a stash ready! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous New Year!

December 28, 2013

Hi all! Kay here with a few weeks of Life Documented using the new Daily Grind collection. I LOVE this new line. I have done at least 8 weeks with it, and feel it pulls together quickly and easily.

Although I have other holiday lines to work with, I love how I could get a Christmas feel with Daily Grind! Time was short over the last month, so these are super-simple weeks that came together in a flash. That is my idea of success!

December 27, 2013

Well hello everyone! Kim here with my final post as a Simple Stories designer...it's been so great to watch Simple Stories grown from a small new company into the industry leader it is today! I still get goosebumps every time I see their new releases and I will continue to be their biggest fan!

Today, I go back to the basics with the 6x4 divided page protectors and the Daily Grind Collection.

For this year's YEAR in REVIEW, I kept it simple and quick.

January to March:

and some closeups:

April to June:

and some closeups:

July to September:

and some closeups:

October to December:

and some closeups:

Supplies:

Daily Grind

Alpha Stickers

Shape Stickers

Collection Kit

6x6 Paper Pad

Ephemera Pack

Card Pack

Chipboard

SNAP - Alphabet Stickers

***************************************

A huge thank you to Amber & Kevin for taking a chance on me and letting me play with the best products on the market!

December 26, 2013

Hi everyone, Marie here today to share a fun project to do at the end of the year using the Daily Grind line.

As we come upon the end of 2013, I thought it would be fun to make a page of some of the highlights of our year.

On the left hand side of the spead, I documented some of our favorite moments.

Some ideas to include are favorite vacation, most embarrassing moment, biggest milestones, favorite photo, and so on.

Another idea would be a page of your favorite things (tv shows, movies, restaurants, etc.).

On the right hand side of the spread I used the Everyday Hustle patterned paper to document monthly highlights.

Making this page was really quick. I went through our photos and made a collage of some of my favorites of the year. Then I just cut them up and put them on the corresponding month with some handwritten journaling.

It's nice to reflect back and realize how much we actually did this year. Here's wishing everyone a wonderful 2014!

I'm using a 12x12 Faux Leather Sn@p! album in teal. I love the quality of these albums. Despite the wear and tear I've given my album this year, it still looks brand new.

December 24, 2013

It's Christmas Eve and it's Vicki popping in today in-between cooking, wrapping and cleaning to get ready for the big day! This time of the year I LOVE taking photos. It goes beyond the obvious and down to this basic fact...my kids are always smiling and actually getting along! That can sometimes be a feat in itself with a 12 year old and a 10 year old!

With all of that being said I had to pull out my Decemeber Documented goodies and scrap this photo this week. The kids were happy and...hugging!!!!

Everything about this photo and page make me happy! My kids were angels and I got a great photo. I love this December Documented line. And best of all...I finished this page in about 30 minutes!! That is the magic of Simple Stories!! I can scrap even when time is limited.

Here is a close up...

Isn't that chipboard snowman cute? I used the SN@P! Page with the diecut snowflakes and added a a few gems to add a bit of bling. Hope you find a few minutes to scrap a page or two during the holidays.

December 23, 2013

A happy Monday-before-Christmas! Shellye here today with a gift idea for giving your handmade treats in. If you have a large-shaped die or cutting system, then this is super easy to put together! I've used a jar die, but certainly any shape would work, as long as it's large enough :)

To begin, I created a 4X4X4 box from one of the December Documented papers. You can find templates online or cover a premade box with the patterned paper of your choice.

Next, I cut the jar shape from two different patterned papers twice. I then cut two of the jar shapes from a matboard (you could also use chipboard or pieces from a heavy box).

Attach the papers to the mat board and machine-stitch around the perimeter if you'd like. Next, adhere the papered jars to the front and back of the box with a strong adhesive (I used a quick drying glue).

Fill the inside of your box with pretty shredded paper or tissue. This is also the perfect sized box if you would like to add a coffee mug filled with goodies.

On the front I attached one of the medium-sized pockets from the SN@P! Pockets and tucked a hand-written recipe inside...also a great spot for a gift card or note.

I glittered the chipboard tree and added some white pom poms. A pretty bow and we're all set for gift-giving!

My daughter and I made "Reindeer Munch" this year as part of our handmade gifts:

2 bags of Bugles

1 (10 oz) pkg pretzels

2 cups mixed nuts

2 (12 oz) pkg plain M&Ms (we use red and green)

2 (12 oz) pkg white chocolate chips

3 TBSP vegetable oil

In a very large bowl or two medium bowls, combine all of the dry ingredients (except white chocolate chips). Melt white chocolate chips with vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes on medium power. Stir and continue the cooking time until the chips are melted. Pour over the dry mix and stir well. Allow to cool and then store in an air-tight container.

December 19, 2013

It's Nichol here today with a Life Documented idea for recording a fun holiday tradition using the December Documented Collection. Can you believe that Christmas is in 4 days?!!! I still have some last minute things to do, I better get busy!

One of our favorite holiday traditions is our Elf On the Shelf, Buddy (yes, my kids named him after the movie character!). :) My youngest wakes up every morning starting December 1st, eagerly looking to see what mischief Buddy may or may not have gotten into. Sometimes Buddy gets into some crazy situations and sometimes he just moves from one spot to another. I'm thinking he's awfully tired those nights! Ha!

I have snapped some photos throughout the month with my cellphone documenting what our elf is doing and thought it would be fun to create a Life Documented style page using a traditional layout. What is that, you say? One of my favorite layouts when pocket scrapping or traditional scrapping is to create a page made up of a bunch of smaller pieces that are all relatively the same size. In this case, I used 12 - 3x4 cards to make a 12x12 layout. Instead of slipping each 3x4 card into it's own pocket I adhered all the cards to a 12x12 piece of cardstock instead! This type of layout allows for some "overlap" of elements, such as the heart accent in the upper right part of the page.

I love the way the 3x4 cards match up. I used a combination of both the 3x4 Sn@p! Cards and 3x4 Journaling Card Elements Paper. All the photos are 2x2, trimmed out with a white border and "taped" in place with washi tape!

The whimsical design of this 3x4 card was perfect for the title of my page.I added the year to the pre-printed banner with stamps from my stash. The "Elf On Our Shelf" sticker was the perfect sub-title for my page. I added it on top of the heart sticker and embellished both with stuff from my stash.

One of my favorite ways to "dress up" flat stickers is to add a layer of Glossy Accents to them. I added Glossy Accents to the 2 heart stickers here and glued a few tiny tiny sequins around the card after adding the date with the December Documented Expression Cardstock Stickers.

I wrapped a bit of twine around the journaling card and secured it with a December Documented Brad.